After much deliberation at the annual league meetings in late-March, early-April, the NFL owners tabled a proposal to ban the Philadelphia Eagles' tush push play. At the time, the owners had planned to revisit the topic at the spring meeting in May.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, said he believes that when the owners do so, they'll reach a consensus on the issue.
"...Since 1920 to 2005, you couldn't push or pull a player anywhere on the field," Goodell said. "And is that a football play, is the question. A lot of coaches would tell you that’s not part of football, right. It may be rugby but it’s not us."
"The Competition Committee has been talking about the Tush Push..
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I think that the 32 teams will be able to develop a consensus" ~ @nflcommish #PMSLive https://t.co/bcRAfx2jhY pic.twitter.com/uhqP9y9TLl
The Green Bay Packers authored the proposal to ban the play, which reportedly received the support of 16 NFL teams, falling short of the minimum 24 votes required to approve a rule change. The discussions among teams, which became heated at one point behind closed doors, also played out through the teams' dealings with the media. As Goodell went on to explain, the crux of the argument against the tush push is that it creates a safety issue for the players involved, an opinion strongly expressed by the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons, among others. And the argument for keeping the play? One put forth by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, among others, that it's another form of the game's evolution, and it's on teams to figure out how to stop it.
"The second thing is really the safety of the game," Goodell continued. "And that’s of primary importance to us. Is it a play that’s unsafe when you’re in those positions where you’re getting pushed or pulled and you can’t control where you’re going. Those are the two factors."
"On the other side, there’s a legitimate argument that everyone can do it, and you know, if somebody does it better than the others, that’s the way the game is played."
Despite a split he sees between the owners, Goodell believes that they'll collectively get the ball across the goal-line (pun intended) in May when it comes to the issue.
"There were different concepts that were discussed. I would say there was a split," Goodell said. "There wasn’t an overwhelming push either way, but I think as people see the different things the committee has been considering and hear the conversation, I think that they’ll actually develop a consensus."
The spring meeting will take place from May 20-21 at Eagan, Minn.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Roger Goodell Believes NFL Owners Will Reach Consensus on Tush Push Vote.
